Ex-Teratai rep Jenice Lee sues DAP over expulsion from party

(The Star) – Former Teratai state assemblyman Jenice Lee Ying Ha has filed a civil suit against DAP to declare that she is still a member of the party.

Lee, 33, filed the suit in the High Court Regiatry through Messrs Harjit Sandu Friday.

In her statement of claim, she named the party via secretary-general Lim Guan Eng as the defendant.

She claimed to know from the media on April 20 that her membership had been terminated by the party’s central executive council (CEC) and the Registrar of Societies (ROS) discovered that the CEC election on December last year, was not in accordance with the party’s constitution.

The plaintiff said thus, her expulsion as the party’s member was invalid.

Lee said on Oct 7, she received a letter from the defendant signed by the disciplinary committee chairman Tan Kok Wai, who gave her 14 days to explain in writing the allegation that she had breached Clause VII para 4 of the party’s constitution.

She said the letter was not valid as Tan was in Korea on Oct 6 and he could not have signed the letter.

Lee claimed that she replied Tan’s letter on Oct 15 and handed it to him on Oct 21 where she replied to the allegation.

The former Selangor DAP publicity secretary, however, said the defendant, via a letter dated Oct 30, had terminated her membership once again.

Lee claimed that her second expulsion as a member was not valid for reasons, among others, that Tan was not in the country to sign the letter; her letter dated on Oct 15 was not replied by the defendant; and she only received a “show cause letter” dated Oct 30 and not a “termination letter”.

She claimed that the ROS had yet to confirm the CEC re-election held on Sept 29 and therefore all processes to expel her membership were not valid and were premature.

Lee is seeking a declaration that her membership be maintained; an injunction to prevent the defendant from terminating her membership; costs and other reliefs that the court thinks suitable and beneficial.

On Oct 29, Lee had withdrawn her suit over the alleged expulsion by the DAP, filed on June 5, after she received a letter from the DAP dated Oct 7 which had asked her to show cause why her membership could not be withdrawn.

Following the letter received, she considered that she was still a member of the DAP.